Back Again
by colonelZ
Summary: Naruto's sister returns to Konoha. As she tries to keep the past from catching up with her, Naruto and Sakura try to catch up with Sasuke. It seems everyone's trying to catch up or run away from something. What happens when there's no room left to run?
1. Chapter 1

I'm doing a lot of writing this weekend aren't I?

Anyway, This is a new story for me, don't worry I'm still going to keep writing both Fang of the North and Family Ties, but I had some inspiration for this one so I decided to go ahead and post it.

This story hasn't been read by a beta, and if you would like to be my beta reader for this story I would really appreciate it. Anyway, this story is more light hearted than Fang of the North, so I hope you enjoy it. It will have eventual NaruSaku, but it's not really a main plot in the story. It will also have KakashiOC.

Read it please! Tell me what you think.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto...and neither do you...unless you actually do own Naruto and then i'd have to say, what the heck is the author of Naruto doing reading fan fiction? **

Also, this story was conceived before we found out who Naruto's parents were, so I'm working on my old assumption that Tsunade didn't know. It's called fan fiction people, live with it.

* * *

"YOU WHAT?!!!!" 

A certain perverted sanin winced in fear as he prepared for the oncoming string of screaming and fists. "Ummmm, well you see….I, uh, lost him?"

"HOW?!" Tsunade seethed. She could not believe that the legendary ninja before her had _lost_ his apprentice.

"Well…you see, we were at a ramen bar and we sort of got into an argument. Long story short we decided to split up and meet back in Konoha in three years." Jiraiya explained guiltily.

The look on the Hokage's face was scary enough to make an entire army wet their pants simultaneously.

Jiraiya pouted in defeated. "All right, fine. Sake was involved, he had already left by the time I woke up the next morning."

Downstairs, Shizune and Sakura looked upwards as they heard what sounded suspiciously like a desk hitting a wall at high speeds.

Sighing, Sakura dutifully headed up the stairs to try and pacify her sensei.

Meanwhile Tsunade was busy throwing anything she could get her hands on at a surprisingly hard to hit perverted sanin while muttering loud streams of curses.

Sakura held up her clipboard to protect her head from various flying projectiles as she warily intruded on the scene.

"I can't believe you lost track your own fucking apprentice! How damn irresponsible can you be?!" The Hokage continued to shout out the two most coherent sentences she'd said during her rant.

Sakura heard them loud and clear as she noticed the white haired ninja her sensei was currently using for target practice. "YOU LOST HIM?!"

Jiraiya gulped as the pink haired medic charged him.

And thus Sakura's own curses and fists were added to the fray.

An hour later, three tired and panting shinobi were leaning against the walls of what used to be the Hokage's office. Two were hoarse and panting while the other quietly nursed his various injuries.

Catching some of her breath back, Tsunade quickly ordered her apprentice to find her assistant and kindly ask her to get a set of replacement furniture from the warehouse they kept stocked with desks, chairs, bookshelves, and other such items for occasions similar and/or identical to this one.

Grumbling, the kunoichi left.

Tsunade glared at her former teammate. "Where was the last place you saw him?"

"Mizu no Uni." The author replied guiltily.

"And that was when?"

"Two and a half years ago."

Tsunade sighed, sitting down on the floor. "Do you think…"

Jiraiya his head. "Nah, we've heard by now. Besides the kid can take care of himself."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow in suspicion. Naruto was known for getting himself into some very stupid situations.

Jiraiya sat down on the floor opposite the female medic. He decided it was time to change the subject, hopefully it would be enough to divert the Hokage's attention away from the fact that he'd, ahem…misplaced his apprentice.

"I know who Naruto's parents are."

Tsunade gawked at the toad sage sitting across from her. "Are you sure?"

Jiraiya nodded, mission accomplished.

"How did you find out? Who are they?"

"I've known for a while now actually." He admitted. "His father wanted me to tell Naruto when he turned eighteen. Since he turned eighteen last month, I'll tell him as soon as he gets back."

"You knew his father? And you didn't bother to tell anyone who his parents were until now?" Tsunade stared open mouthed at the man across the room from her.

"His father didn't want me to, he had a lot of enemies. If it were to get out that he had a vulnerable child…well I think you can figure it out." Jiraiya yawned as he leaned his head back against the cracked wall. Boy, was he tired. After running all day to get back to the village, and then having to dodge Tsunade's wrath…it left even a sanin exhausted.

Tsunade's eye twitched in impatience. "Well? Who the heck are his parents?!"

Jiraiya opened one eye. "You mean you honestly haven't figured it out yet? Tsk, tsk Tsunade. I would think your observational skills would be better than that."

Tsunade glared at him, dangerously close to catching a third wind.

Jiraiya gulped, before regaining his composure. "His father was none other than the late Yondaime Hokage. His mother was Uzumaki Kunshina."

Tsunade's jaw hit the floor. She'd honestly had no idea, but now that she thought about it…the resemblance seemed all too clear. "Holy shit."

Jiraiya smirked. "That's not even all I have to tell him."

Tsunade continued gaping. "There's more?!"

Jiraiya nodded. "He has a Kekkai Genkai called the Tsuheigon."

Tsunade raised an eyebrow warily. "What exactly does it do?"

The sanin shrugged. "I don't really know. The only thing I was told was that one of it's main purposes is to subdue and destroy byuuji. Since Naruto had the Kyuubi sealed inside of him, his Tsuheigon can only be activated by an outside source: someone who carries the same kekkai genkai."

Tsunade sighed, "So he'll never be able to use it?"

Jiraiya shook his head. "There's one Tsuheigon user still alive, the only problem will be finding her."

"Who?"

"Uzumaki Circa, his sister."

"He has a sister?!" Tsunade's jaw hit the floor for the second time that day.

Jiraiya sent her a questioning look, "You don't remember? She was the little girl who always followed the Fourth and his team around. I think she's only about four years younger than Kakashi. My idiot of a student screwed around with Kunshina on a mission when he was seventeen, Circa was the result."

The Hokage sat back against the wall, eyes wide. For years everyone thought that Naruto and the Yondaime didn't have any family. Not only were _they_ related, but also their family was bigger than anyone would have ever guessed. Talk about the number one best-kept secret of Konoha.

Tsunade cocked an eyebrow at her fellow sanin. "So how exactly do you plan to tell Naruto all of this?"

"Tell me what?"

The pair of sanins jumped as a certain knuckle headed shinobi appeared on the windowsill.

The young blond was immediately flipped out upon by the two teammates. Much yelling ensued.

Finally the two had had their fill of screaming at the late blond and Tsunade pulled him into a bone-crushing hug.

Once he was released, and had taken several deep breaths, Naruto repeated his question. "So seriously, tell me what?"

Tsunade looked at Jiraiya. He faltered, not sure how to tell his young apprentice about his family.

"This wouldn't have anything to do with me would it?"

The three looked up as another visitor landed gracefully on the windowsill, leaning casually against the wall with her hand on her hip.

Jiraiya's eyes widened. In front of him was a woman no Konoha shinobi had seen for over a decade.

Uzumaki Circa, was home.

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AN: There, I hope you liked it. And yes I know it doesn't follow the manga exactly but what fan fiction does? 

Anyway, I would like some feed back on this one, it's kind of a different style for me, so I want to know what you think.

later,

colonelZ


	2. Chapter 2

Yay! Chapter two! You meet Naruto's sister in this chapter, although you'll understand more about her and her history in Konoha as the story goes on. Also, Naruto has a new look! Yay!

Anyway...

Thank you's to krakengirl and Ratchet McCloud for reviewing!

I hope you guys enjoy the new chapter.

_thoughts_

other stuff.

**Disclaimer: don't own...although Circa's mine and so is the idea for Naruto's kekkai genkai...**

By the way: krakengirl, thank you so much for your review but I already have an idea for Naruto's bloodline. I really liked your suggestion though, I might use it for another character, or in another story if you don't mind.

**Recap:**

_Jiraiya's eyes widened. In front of him was a woman no Konoha shinobi had seen for over a decade. _

_Uzumaki Circa, was home._

* * *

**Chapter Two:**

Her hair was cropped short, cut with sporadic layers that cause her blond locks to fall haphazardly into her eyes and around her face. Her blue eyes glinted with intelligence and an obvious hunger for mischief. A black turtleneck shirt covered her torso, and a menacing looking katana hung loosely at her waist. She wore straight black denim pants and black heels. Puberty had been good to the Yondaime's daughter.

It had been good to his son as well. Tsunade took the time to take in the changes in both siblings. Naruto's headband now hung around his neck, leaving his spiky blond hair free to hang down into his eyes. It was longer now, and didn't defy gravity as much as it had three years previously. He'd grown as well. By now the genin was at least Kakashi's height, and probably gaining on Gai. His lean frame was covered in a black long sleeved shirt that had been left unbuttoned at the top, revealing a fishnet shirt underneath. He wore khaki pants that hung down over the tops of his sandals. Not a trace of orange on him.

"C…Circa?"

The girl grinned. "Yes, that would be my name. I figured it was time to come home for a visit."

Naruto snorted, rolling his eyes.

Circa scowled. "Okay, so I lost a bet with mister lucky over here. Happy now?"

Naruto smirked at her. "Very."

"Asshole."

Jiraiya and Tsunade looked at each other. Confused was an understatement. Tsunade cleared her throat. "All right, I suggest you two tell us how exactly you two ran into each other."

Circa glanced at her brother. "Well, go on, you're the talkative one. Besides, I'll probably have to tell them about what I've been up to since I left later anyway."

Naruto shrugged. "Fine by me. It's not a very long story, but what the heck happened to this room?"

Jiraiya sweat dropped. "Well, Tsunade took the fact that I let you go off on your own a little worse than I expected."

"Ah, Okay, so anyway, after I split up from you I went over to the Village hidden in the Waves. Circa happened to be passing through at the time a saw me. She recognized me, how I have no idea, and walked up and introduced herself.

"Then we had the small issue of me not believing her, so we had a little argument. Finally, she convinced me, I'm still not entirely sure how. She asked me why I was out here on my own, and I told her. She offered to train me, and I accepted.

"So basically for the past two years I've been traveling around with her, learning anything she had to teach me from taijutsu to genjutsu. She also told me about our parents and about our bloodline, which she's been teaching me how to use. She told me about her life in Konoha, and what she'd been up to, and I told her about what was going on back home. And then it came close to when I was supposed to meet Jiraiya back here, and I tried to convince her to come back with me.

"She didn't want to come but I got her to make a bet with me and I won so, here we both are." He shrugged like it was no big deal before remembering something else.

"Oh, and she made me change my clothes. It took her about a week to get sick of orange so she took my clothes while I was taking a shower and burned them. Which I think was a drastic measure but she still defends it." He finished, looking at Tsunade and Jiraiya, who were staring blankly back at him.

"Wow. Of all the people for you to run into…" Tsunade shook her head.

Circa grinned. "We had a good time. Especially after the orange was gone and I got to him eat something other than ramen." She turned towards her brother. "I'm telling you kid we made some changes that were vital to your social life."

Naruto glared at her. "I liked the orange."

"Yeah well, you didn't have to look at it all day."

"You didn't have to eat the ramen."

"But I did have to listen to you complain about being hungry all the time."

"You still do."

"Yeah, but now that you eat more proteins it's a lot less often."

"True."

Jiraiya shook his head. "All right you two, let's focus here."

Tsunade cleared her throat. "Yes, Naruto, you can leave if you wish. In fact I would advise you to go see Sakura, she overheard Jiraiya telling me he had no idea where you were. It would be less painful for you in the long run if you went to see her first.

"Also, I've decided it's time for you to get a new apartment."

"Sweet!"

Tsunade glanced at the shattered remnants of her desk. She sweat dropped. "_Thank goodness Shizune decided to keep an extra key. I'm not sure I could find it in all that mess."_

"See Shizune on your way out to get your key. She should be with Sakura down in the lobby. I asked them to go get some more furniture for my office."

Naruto grinned. "Awesome, later baa-chan."

"Stop calling me that!" Tsunade seethed as she watched the blond jump back out the window. _"I'll kill him later."_

Circa watched him go. "So I assume I'm not dismissed yet?"

Jiraiya nodded. "You have a lot to explain."

Circa sighed, and gracefully settled on the windowsill. "Tell me where to start."

Tsunade cocked an eyebrow. "Let's start with the fact that no one knows why you left. Well, Kakashi might but he hasn't said a word."

The young blond groaned. "I just had to get out. The elders wouldn't let me near my brother, every thing I saw reminded me of my father, one of my teammates died and the other became a missing nin. There was nothing left, well, I had Kakashi, but if I had stuck around he wouldn't have become as strong as his is. I would have just been a distraction."

Tsunade nodded. "I can understand that."

Circa snorted. "I don't know what the big deal is, it's not like I was a missing nin. I made it to chunin and I retired. I left the village legally."

Jiraiya quirked an eyebrow, "But you were only fourteen when you left and you didn't even tell anyone you were leaving. Where did you go?"

"Everywhere. I've been to almost every hidden village. I made money doing grunt work and turning in a few bounties. I've trained under three Kage's and have an intricate knowledge of most villages' defense systems. Leaving was good for me. I missed home though. I would have come back sooner, but I was afraid of how people would react. Naruto and Kakashi especially.

"But when I saw Naruto, I don't know. Something told me it was time to stop running away from home. Besides, who else was going to teach him how to use is kekkai genkai?"

Jiraiya nodded. "I'd have sought you out eventually."

Tsunade sighed and grinned happily. "It's good to have you home, Circa."

She smiled. "It's good to be back. I didn't realize just how much I missed Konoha."

"Which brings us to how long you're going to stay." Jiraiya looked expectantly at Circa.

The blue-eyed blond chuckled grimly. "Well, if I'm going to stick to the terms of my little brother's bet, which I am, I'm here to stay. That is, if you'll still have me Hokage-sama."

Tsunade grinned. "Of course, how could I turn away my predecessor's daughter? I could re-instate you as a Konoha shinobi if you like." She looked hopefully at Circa, who mulled it over for a second.

"You know, I'd like that."

Jiraiya nodded in approval and Tsunade sent a receptionist off to get the papers and an Anbu mask.

Circa raised an eyebrow. "Anbu? Don't you think I should start off at chunin, where I left off?"

Tsunade laughed. "No way. When you left you were on the verge of being promoted to jounin anyway. You have to be at least Anbu level by now if you've kept in shape. Have you?"

Circa smirked. "I've done more than just stay in shape."

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AN: I hope you liked this chapter, and the story so far. 

Please review, I hate to beg but...

PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE! PLEASE!

If for no other reason than to make me happy, how about the more reviews that faster I update? I am not kidding, at all. (Despite my previous track record, if a lot of people review, I'll update quicker.)

colonelZ


	3. Chapter 3

AN: Hey guys! Heh, sorry it's been a long time since I've updated. But hey, it's better than normal.

Anyway, here's the latest chapter, not much to say right now, just read and tell me what you think!

**Disclaimer: No. I do not, and unfortunately never will, own Naruto. Circa's mine though. **

* * *

Half an hour later, Circa walked out of the Hokage's office, whistling quietly to herself as she walked down the street.

She hated to admit it, but she'd missed Konoha. She'd missed her home. _"Not to mention the memories here. Ha, so many pranks…so many laughs."_

She was still musing over a particular incident with her father's team, when a very amusing sight grasped her attention.

Naruto had gone to find Sakura, who apparently wasn't very happy that he'd gone off on his own. She was currently trying to beat the living snot out of him. Trying being the operative word.

Circa sweat dropped. _"Now I understand why he was so desperate to work on speed. From the size of those creators I'd have to say she's an apprentice of Tsunade's." _She shivered involuntarily. _"Man, I'd hate to get in the way of that fist."_

"Naruto you idiot! I can't believe you actually went off on your own! What were you thinking?! What if Akatsuki had found you, huh? What would you have done then?"

The pinkette took another swing at her teammate.

"AH! I'm sorry! Come on, Sakura-Chan! I'm fine, no harm done. It all worked out, now can you please stop trying to kill me?!" The teen jumped out of the way once more.

"Stop moving so I can punch you, you idiot!"

"I'd like to stay conscious for the rest of the afternoon if you don't mind!"

"Well, what if I do?"

Circa laughed as she joined the small crowd that had gathered to watch. _"So this is Sakura, huh? Well, well, well. At least someone has been keeping him in line while I've been gone."_

Her eyes scanned the small throng of people before settling on a familiar masked shinobi. Circa smiled. He still wore his mask over his face and he still wore his headband over his eye. He seemed more laid back that before though, his posture was relaxed, very much unlike the dedicated training freak he'd once been.

He was ignoring his students at the moment, engrossed in an orange book. Circa scowled. _"Great. I'm gone for decade and he turns into a pervert. Well then fine. If he's going to read that trash I'll just have to use it against him. Naruto did mention he was particularly attached to his books."_

With a mischievous grin, she circled around the crowd towards Kakashi.

"Well, look who it is. Hatake Kakashi, long time no see."

Kakashi looked up from his novel, aware that someone was addressing him. He froze. _"No way…is that? Could it really…"_

"Circa?"

She grinned. "Boo."

He gaped at her. "Where have you been?"

"Everywhere."

"That's not very descriptive."

"'Wasn't meant to be."

Kakashi smirked under his mask. "I missed you."

She smiled at him. "I know."

Kakashi chuckled under his breath. "_Same old Circa."_

He pulled her into a hug as she walked over.

She closed her eyes, reabsorbing his scent. "For the record, I missed you too."

"I know." He smirked under his mask, resting his chin on her head.

She pulled away, smiling sweetly at him. He smiled back before glancing at the fight.

He turned around when he heard the distinct sound of pages being turned.

He blinked, and his eyes widened as he saw Circa thumbing through the pages of a certain orange book. "_Oh crap. She hates this stuff…she'll destroy it if she gets the chance! Must get it back!"_

"Hey! Come on, give it back."

Circa raise an eyebrow at him. "You want it? Come and get it."

Kakashi's eye narrowed. He dove for it, but the blond moved swiftly out of the way. She held his book just out of his reach. He dove again, and she twirled out of his way once more.

"Give. It. Back."

"Is it really that important to you? Well then, I guess it'll just have to go for a swim. I wonder if you'll still be able to read if after the ink starts to run?"

"Don't even think about it Circa."

She grinned at him, unaware that Sakura and Naruto had stopped moving to watch the exchange. "Too late Kakashi!"

With that she turned on the spot and jumped onto the nearest roof before launching herself into the air and disappearing in a pillar of fire, eyes focused on Kakashi, who was running after her.

Sakura blinked as they disappeared. She looked at Naruto, "What the heck was that about?"

Naruto shrugged. "I have no idea."

Chouji looked around as a silence settled over the group, which consisted of Kiba, Ino, and Shikamaru. "Hey, I have an idea! Let's go get ramen!"

The others nodded in agreement.

"Sweet! I haven't had ramen in forever!" Naruto grinned as they headed in the direction of Naruto's favorite ramen shop.

Ino rolled her eyes. "You mean you haven't had it since breakfast."

Naruto scowled. "No, I mean I haven't had it in over a month because my sister decided I needed to eat something other than starch."

"What?!" Sakura gaped at him. "You went a whole month without eating ramen?"

Naruto shrugged. "Yeah, I didn't think it was possible either."

Kiba frowned. "Wait, did you say 'your sister'? You have a sister?"

The blond nodded. "Yup. She's been the one training me since I stopped traveling with Jiraiya."

"No way! How come we never knew?"

"Because I didn't until two years ago."

"That would make sense." Kiba nodded.

"I can't imagine how it wouldn't." Shikamaru muttered.

Kiba shot him a glare. "So, do we get to meet her?"

Naruto sweat dropped. "If you want to. I wouldn't recommend it. She was the girl who took Kakashi's book."

Sakura frowned. "Really? She seemed really familiar with him, how much older is she than you?"

"About ten years. She knew Kakashi before she left the village. They had a, umm, strange relationship."

Kiba laughed. "That much was obvious."

Kakashi chased Circa all the way to team seven's bridge. He was out of breath by the time they got there. _"Damn. When did she get so fast? No wonder Sakura couldn't catch Naruto if Circa's been training him."_

The blond slowed to a stop on the bridge, and Kakashi wasted no time in attacking her. He lunged at her hand, which she quickly moved out of the way.

She danced to the side, trying run past him and off the bridge, but he caught her around the waist, pulling her back.

"Oh no you don't, you're not going anywhere."

She scowled playfully at him. "Oh yeah? Watch me."

She squirmed out of his grip, only to have him catch a hold of her arm. He tried to grab the book from her hand and she twisted it behind her back. He growled at her and tried again.

From the trees on the other side of the river, Anko and Iruka watched the pair.

Anko sweat dropped. "Well, looks like the rumors are true. Circa's back in Konoha."

Iruka sighed, "And it looks like she wasted no time in messing with Kakashi. Do you think he'll ever get that book back?"

"Not a chance, but that's not really the point. She'll give it back eventually, after giving him a tongue lashing for being a pervert. This is just their way of saying hello."

Iruka shook his head. "They have such a weird relationship."

"Yeah. This could go on for hours with their stamina."

Anko grinned. Circa was back. That meant her favorite hobby could once again resume. _"Time to play match maker! I failed to get them together once! I won't fail again!"_ Several scenarios ran through the jounin's head as she started planning out how to get her favorite couple…to actually become a couple.

Irkua eyed her warily. "Anko, what are you plotting?"

She smiled sweetly at him. "Nothing! I was just thinking, that since this is obviously going to go on for a while, why not have some fun with them?"

"Like?"

Anko smirked. "Do you have any letter bombs on you?"

Iruka raised an eyebrow. "Why?"

"So I can use them."

"For?"

"Collapsing the bridge and dumping Kakashi and Circa into the river."

"We should do this why?"

"Because it'd be really hilarious and it's time someone pranked the prankster queen."

Iruka shrugged. "Good enough."

He really had been spending too much time with Anko.

* * *

AN: I hope you enjoyed it, I'm not sure when the next chapter will be out, if people review it will be sooner. 

Thanks to everyone who review on the last chapter, I really appreciate it!

Now, click the little rectangular purple button, please!

colonelZ


	4. Chapter 4

AN: Hello again! I know, I know, before you all start yelling at me I'm well aware that it's been a little while since I've updated. Okay, more than a little while…er, just read the new chapter please.

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto…wish I did though (who doesn't?)**

* * *

Naruto stared at his sister, trying not to laugh. Standing before him was an extremely pissed, and extremely wet Uzumaki Circa.

"Ummm, sis, why are you-"?

Circa cut him off through clenched teeth. "Don't. Ask."

He looked at her quizzically, noticing the fact that she was beginning to drip water on the floor.

The rest of the Rookie nine and Team Gai chose that moment to become exceedingly interested in the exchange.

"Naruto my friend, who is this beautiful, if not wet, flower of youth?" Rock Lee asked cheerfully, designating himself to be the first to voice his curiosity.

Circa deadpanned. _Oh shit…not another Gai._

Naruto grinned, "Guys, this is Circa, my sister."

Circa mutter a polite hello before taking a step closer to Naruto. Which in effect was a step farther away from Lee, who was staring at her.

The green spandex wearing youth looked at her curiously. "Circa? I have heard that name before, I am sure of it. I believe Gai-sensei mentioned it, did he not, Neji?"

Neji shrugged his shoulders. He really couldn't care less.

Naruto broke into the conversation, noticing his sister's growing discomfort. Not to mention the slight shudder at the mention of Gai. "Sis, this is Rock Lee, Neji, and Tenten. They're Gai-sensei's students."

Circa smiled politely at them, hiding her mental twitch. _Great…another Gai, just what the world needs. Speaking of whom, that green spandex wearing freak better stay the heck away from me._

Tenten grinned at her, Neji nodded and Rock Lee just kept staring.

"This is Kiba, Akamaru, Hinata, and Shino. They're students of Kurenai-sensei. Over here is Sakura, who you saw earlier, and Sai from my team. This is Shikamaru, Chouji, and Ino from team ten."

Circa gave another polite hello, which was returned with collective acknowledgment and smiles. Even from Sai, which caused Sakura to give him a weird look out of the corner of her eye.

Naruto took another bite of his ramen. "So, what'd you need, sis?"

Circa glared at him. "What do you think? I need the key."

He smirked. "Why?"

She frowned. "For a change of clothes, obviously."

The rest of the group looked on curiously.

"How exactly did you get so wet?"

She growled at him. "Just give me the damn key."

Naruto grinned. "And miss out on a potentially entertaining story? No way."

Circa grumbled under her breath. She didn't need to be explaining this to her little brother at the moment.

Needless to say, Circa was not a happy camper.

AT ALL. (See the extremely pissed line.)

She was wet, cold, irritable, and wanted nothing more than to start plotting various ways to rid the earth of the cause of her suffering.

Mitarashi Anko.

Why? Because Anko knew that Circa hated water, and she knew that her clothes were in an apartment that her little brother had the only key to. She knew that Circa would have no choice but to track him down to get the key, and she knewthat Naruto wouldn't give her the key unless she explained exactly _why_ she was soaked from head to toe.

She knewCirca was a horrible liar and would have to tell him the truth; which would lead to a very awkward conversation and several perverted jokes because her little brother had spent far too much time with that stupid Ero-senin of his. She knewthat Naruto would probably be with his friends, which would just make a bad situation much, much worse.

How did she know these things?

Because she was Anko, and Anko just somehow worked like that.

Kakashi had offered (after whining over the loss of his book and throwing several sharp, pointy objects in Anko and Iruka's direction) to let her borrow a change of clothes. It was a tempting offer, but then she would have had to explain to Naruto (and Sakura) why she was wearing his sensei's clothes.

Which wouldn't have been so bad if Naruto hadn't spent far too much time with Jiraiya.

Naruto smirked at her. "Well?"

Circa glared at him, adding the blonde to her mental list of people to destroy. She battled with her pride for a moment before she grudgingly decided that a change of clothes and some embarrassment was, in the long run, better for her than her pride and a cold.

She sighed, "Well, Kakashi was trying to get his book back and we ended up on this bridge…."

_Flashback_

_Kakashi glared at Circa as she danced out of his reach once again._

_She smiled back at him, her eyes glinting mischievously. "Try it again, I dare you."_

_He frowned, panting a little as he tried to catch his breath. This was not going the way he wanted it to. He was about to try once more to retrieve his precious book when he heard the sound of two kunai embedding themselves in the wood of the bridge._

_The two shinobi looked over towards the woods to see Iruka and Anko waving at them and grinning gleefully._

_Circa stared at them. "Iruka?"_

_Kakashi narrowed his eyes. "Anko, what did you-"?_

_He was cut off by the sound of a letter bomb exploding underneath them. The bridge collapsed, dumping them both into the river below as Anko and Iruka laughed in the bushes._

_End Flashback_

"And now I'm wet, and I'm cold, and I'm going to kill Anko but I need new clothes first so give me the effing key all ready."

Naruto tossed the key to her, still laughing with the rest of the group.

Circa scowled at him. "Oh, shut up asshole."

Naruto just grinned at her playfully.

Circa opened her mouth to yell at him but was cut off by a sound that made her deadpan for the second time in five minutes.

Maito Gai's voice boomed into the small booth as he entered the stand. "Circa, I thought those youthful rumors Anko was spreading were true! How lovely it is to see such a wonderful flower of youth once again! You must join me in an expression of our youthful energy!"

Naruto couldn't help but start laughing again. In the past two years he'd been with his sister, he'd never seen her look as terrified as she did then. Nor had he seen her move near as fast as she did when she bolted from room and took off down the street.

Gai wasted no time in running after her. "Wait, beautiful flower! Come back!"

Naruto continued laughing at his sister's torment as the others stared at the door, completely confused.

Neji, surprisingly, was the first to find words. "What the hell?"

A couple seconds or so of stunned silence followed before Kiba demonstrated his gloriously short attention span.

"So, Naruto, meet any hot girls?"

It was getting close to eleven o'clock when Naruto finally walked into his new apartment for the first time (after getting a spare key from Tsunade of course, because he couldn't find Circa).

"Whoa…"

The blonde grinned as he looked around. The place was amazing. It was spacious, clean, and didn't smell like things he'd rather not think off.

He would definitely have to thank Baa-chan for this.

Naruto walked into one of the apartment's two bedrooms. He dropped his bag on the floor as he collapsed onto the bed. Sighing contentedly, he grinned to himself. It was good to be home.

After a few minutes of relaxing, the blonde grudgingly got up and started unpacking his stuff. He didn't have much with him, just the basic necessities. He grumbled under his breath as he realized Circa would probably make him go shopping soon.

The blonde stopped and glanced around. Where was she anyway?

He snickered to himself as he wondered if she'd managed to out run Gai. Don't get him wrong; he hoped she did, for her sake (and maybe Gai's). But he couldn't help but enjoy watching the normally tough as nails Circa get the crap scared out of her. He shook his head. There was no sense in worrying; she'd show up in the morning.

He finished unpacking before collapsing onto his new, soft, comfy bed.

* * *

AN: Yeah, I know, not much seemed to happen in this chapter. If you haven't guessed yet, this story won't be very Naruto-centric, but it will have some narusaku towards the end.

Okay, that's it for tonight; I'm going to head off to bed. I hope you all liked it. Thank you to everyone who reviewed on the last chapter and to those of you who have stuck with me throughout my inconsistent updating.

Now, if you would be so kind, I need a favor. It will only take a little bit of your time. You see that little purple button down there? Yes, the one in the bottom left corner of your computer screen.

Click on it and write something.

It would make me very happy.

colonelZ


	5. Chapter 5

AN: Okay, now, for this one I really do have a good excuse. I've spent the last few months spending as much time with my friends as possible, and then packing, moving and unpacking again. I haven't had an internet connection for a month except for the one at my school.

But, I finally got a new chapter. It's mostly about Circa and Kakashi, but it's not all romance-y and stuff. I'm going to apologize ahead of time for some _minor_ bashing on Gai in this chapter. The idea is that both Kakashi and Gai used to fight over Circa and it was one of the things that fueled their rivalry. Because I just have to make my OC so much more important than the other characters :D Oh! and read the re-cap, I added a line there that's kind of important.

**Disclaimer: um, I have an OC, dead give away right there that I don't own Naruto. But Circa is mine. **

* * *

_XrecapX_

It was getting close to eleven o'clock when Naruto finally walked into his new apartment for the first time. He scowled as he rubbed his arm where Sakura had punched him after he'd told Kiba that not only had he met some hot girls, he'd dated two of them. He'd shrugged off the reaction though. Thinking nothing of it.

"Whoa…"

The blonde grinned as he looked around. The place was amazing. It was spacious, clean, and didn't smell like things he'd rather not think off.

He would definitely have to thank Baa-chan for this.

He walked into one of the apartment's two bedrooms. He dropped his bag on the floor as he collapsed onto the bed. Sighing contentedly, he grinned to himself. It was good to be home.

After a few minutes of relaxing, the blonde grudgingly got up and started unpacking his stuff. He didn't have much with him, just the basic necessities. He grumbled under his breath as he realized Circa would probably make him go shopping soon.

The blonde stopped and glanced around. Where was she anyway? He snickered to himself as he wondered if she'd managed to out run Gai. Don't get him wrong; he hoped she did, for her sake (and maybe Gai's). But he couldn't help but enjoy watching the normally tough as nails Circa get the crap scared out of her. He shook his head. There was no sense in worrying; she'd show up in the morning.

He finished unpacking before collapsing onto his new, soft, comfy bed.

* * *

_Xon with the storyX_

Earlier that evening, Uzumaki Circa had not, in fact, been able to outrun Gai. It was a combination of wet clothes, and getting wacked in the head with a long metal pole by a random civilian. By accident of course.

The civilian had been carrying supplies back to his apartment to fix the damage that Sakura had caused earlier. Tsunade had promised to reimburse him for the repairs, and so he'd decided to go with heavy-duty materials. But that's another story.

Circa had run straight into the pole as the man had turned. This resulted in Circa on her back in the middle of a busy street clutching her forehead. Not a great moment for one of Konoha's recently instated ANBU. Circa decided the concerned villagers beginning to circle around her didn't need to know that.

"Circa! My beautiful and delicate flower! Are you alright?"

She mentally cursed as the green beast of Konoha pulled her to her feet. She smiled politely at Gai as he began his characteristic speech on how a youthful flower such as her self should be more careful.

She was on the verge of punching him as he began to yell at the offending civilian (who was just trying to fix his wall) as the rest of the villagers stared on in bewilderment. Circa squirmed in Gai's grip; vainly trying to free herself from her green prison. But Gai was still the stronger than she was and she resigned herself to being thoroughly embarrassed. That didn't mean that she wasn't plotting her revenge.

She was almost about to release the Tsuheigon on him when he started preaching about youth and how if the world was more youthful none of this would have happened. Not to mention his hand around her waist was moving farther and farther south.

Kakashi couldn't help but snicker quietly to himself as he observed what was happening before him. He truly wished he'd been there to see how Gai had managed to catch up with Circa. And what was this bit about a metal pole?

He walked up to the group, studying Circa as he got closer. She looked somewhere between murderously angry and dying of embarrassment.

Kakashi debated between sticking around and watching the show, or saving his sensei's daughter from her green fate. His decision was made as he noticed Gai's hand moving farther and farther south. Kakashi's chivalry (and more than a little jealousy) decided to come to life.

Circa was trying to decide which of Gai's limbs she was going to remove first as Kakashi walked up to the now fairly large crowd of people.

"Hey Gai, Tsunade wants to see you."

Gai's face lit up. "Yosh! This is just the chance I need to further prove my youthful words. Circa, we must race to the youthful Hokage's office!!"

She frowned. "Uh, no thank you. I've done enough running for one day."

Gai's face saddened a bit. "Then we must walk quickly to the youthful Hokage's office?"

"She's not going with you to the Hokage's office, Gai. Tsunade-sama told me to help her get re-acquainted with the town. Later." Kakashi waved nonchalantly as he walked by, forcefully pulling Circa out of Gai's grip on his way.

"Kakashi! This is most un-youthful of you!!" Kakashi ignored him. "Darn you my eternal rival! It is most un-youthful to walk away when someone is yelling at you."

Circa frowned at Kakashi as they walked away. "For the record, I had it totally under control."

He turned to smirk at her. "For the record, gratitude accepted."

She smiled genuinely at him, turning her head so that her bangs fell back, revealing the drying blood on her forehead.

He frowned and reached up to wipe some of the blood off. "What happened?"

Circa laughed guiltily. "I may or may not have run into an eight foot metal pole."

He rolled his eyes. "That was intelligent."

"I was in the process of running from Gai."

She shivered slightly, Kakashi noticed she was still wet. "Did you not get the key from Naruto?"

"Huh?" She looked up, breaking out of a train of though. "Oh, no, I did get it. Gai just decided to crash the ramen stand as I was meeting all his friends."

He chuckled. "I see, want to go back and change then?"

"Na, I'm almost dry. Warm clothes won't stop me from getting a cold at this point."

"True." They lapsed into silence as they kept walking.

"Want to go back to my place?"

Circa pretended to think about it. "Is sake involved?"

Kakashi grinned under his mask. "Of course. We can even plot against Anko and Iruka."

She smiled back. "Have you moved since I left?"

He shook his head, preparing to run.

Circa's eyes glinted red as she grinned happily. "Race you." She jumped onto the rooftops, bolting forward, Kakashi right behind her.

Three hours later, they were deeply engaged in a battle of pop culture knowledge. Not to mention more than a little drunk, but they were slowly sobering up.

The sun had long since set, and Circa gazed out the window quietly. Kakashi was flipping through one of his non-orange books, trying to find the answer to her most resent question.

Or, that's what it looked like he was doing. Kakashi was more interested in staring at his sensei's daughter.

It had been a long time since he'd seen her look as peaceful as she did right then. Normally, she looked either troubled and worried about unknown problems and responsibilities well beyond her years, or hyper out the wazoo.

Circa looked over at him lazily, feeling his stare. She smiled at him warmly. "I missed how well you can see the stars here. With all the trees, the air's so clear. You can see them better than anywhere else."

"Is that the only thing you missed?"

She shrugged. "I honestly don't know what I missed. I was so bent on forgetting about everything, that I didn't stop and ask myself if there was anything I didn't want to forget."

Kakashi frowned. "Nothing?"

Circa grinned mischievously, knowing exactly where his thought process was going. "Nope. But you specifically asked about things, not people."

He snorted and rolled his eyes at her.

Circa laughed as she stood up, swaying slightly her vision swam. "Whoa…" She shook her head vigorously, trying to get a clearer thought process before walking towards the door.

"Where are you going?"

She turned back around to face him. "Home?"

He shook his head, his grin clearly visible since he'd removed his mask. (le gasp!) "Nope, you're staying here tonight. If you can run into a metal pole while your sober I'd hate to see the damage you could do while intoxicated."

Circa thought about it for a moment before shrugging. "Okay."

* * *

AN: Okay, please tell me what you think on this one. I'm pleading for feedback here people.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed it. Please, please, please review. I'm nervous about this chapter, I wanted to set the right dynamic between Circa and Kakashi and I want to know your opinions and sugestions.

until next time!

colonelZ


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